Mother Earth Father Sky by Sue Harrison (BOOK TOUR)

A young woman fights for survival amid the brutality of the last Ice Age

It’s 7056 BC, a time before history. On the first day that Chagak’s womanhood is acknowledged within her Aleut tribe, she unexpectedly finds herself betrothed to Seal Stalker, the most promising young hunter in the village. A bright future lies ahead of Chagak—but in one violent moment, she loses her entire way of life. Left with her infant brother, Pup, and only a birdskin parka for warmth, Chagak sets out across the icy waters on a quest for survival and revenge.

Mother Earth Father Sky is the first book of the Ivory Carver Trilogy, which also includes My Sister the Moon and Brother Wind. 

Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Open Road Media
eBook
ISBN: 0380715929

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Originally published in 1985 this is the first book in a trilogy. I have been on a wonderful ride lately with books that have grabbed my attention right away and kept it till the every end.  Books about young girls, their struggles, their fears as they grow up very quickly in tragic circumstances.  Mother End Father Sky is set in a time period that I rarely read and I am happy to say that my wonderful reading streak is still going strong.

Taking place in prehistoric Alaska, this book did not disappoint!  Not only was it a really good read but an educational one as well.  The rich detail into the history of the land, the way of life and the cultural lifestyle of the different villages shows that the author did a ton of research to make this novel.  And I have so much respect for authors that spend so much time on research and delivering it such a believable and entertaining  manner, which is what Sue Harrison has done here.  I couldn't help but feel for Chagak, her future changing so drastically and the courage to survive. It wasn't just Chagak's circumstances, but the general way of life.  I was able to feel the cold water, the bitter winds of paddling the seas.  The amount of work that went into everyday life just to survive during that time period, gathering plants, skinning animals and saving every part for a specific purpose.

There were more characters, Shuganan, surrogate grandfather added a dose of mystery to the story along with glimpses of the spirit world and how it directed life back then. 

Some say this is young adult and others adult fiction, definitely would appeal to both. A series that I plan to continue reading.

 

Sue Harrison grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and graduated summa cum laude from Lake Superior State University with a bachelor of arts degree in English language and literature. At age twenty-seven, inspired by the cold Upper Michigan forest that surrounded her home, and the outdoor survival skills she had learned from her father and her husband, Harrison began researching the people who understood best how to live in a harsh environment: the North American native peoples. She studied six Native American languages and completed extensive research on culture, geography, archaeol
ogy, and anthropology during the nine years she spent writing her first novel, Mother Earth Father Sky, the extraordinary story of a woman’s struggle for survival in the last Ice Age. A national and international bestseller, and selected by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 1991, Mother Earth Father Sky is the first novel in Harrison’s critically acclaimed Ivory Carver Trilogy, which includes My Sister the Moon and Brother Wind. She is also the author of Song of the River, Cry of the Wind, and Call Down the Stars, which comprise the Storyteller Trilogy, also set in prehistoric North America. Her novels have been translated into thirteen languages and published in more than twenty countries. Harrison lives with her family in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula. 

For more information please visit Sue Harrison's website.  You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.